kim191•12d ago

Hand stitching vs machine stitching on leather journals - which holds up better long term?

I've been binding for about 5 years now and always did everything by hand. But last month I borrowed my buddy's industrial sewing machine to try a batch of leather journals. The machine stitches look perfect and took me like 2 hours vs 12 hours for a whole book. But I'm worried the machine stitches will fail over time since they don't have that same tension control. My hand sewn stuff from 3 years ago is still solid. Anyone have experience with machine stitching on leather that lasted years?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithwalker12d ago

Wait, have you checked the needle type you're using? I switched to a leather-specific needle and it made a huge difference for me. I had a machine-stitched cover fall apart after about 8 months of daily use because the thread was rubbing against the leather edge, but my hand-stitched stuff from 4 years ago is still going strong (also leather journals, actually). The tension really is a factor - I've found machine stitches can loosen up over time if you're not super careful with the setup, especially on thicker leather where the needle hole is bigger than the thread.

elizabethn5612d agoMost Upvoted

That bit about the needle hole being bigger than the thread really got me thinking. Have you ever actually measured the difference between the hole size from a leather needle versus a regular one on the same weight leather, or is it more of a feel thing? I ask because I've been fighting with a project where the thread sits loose in the hole no matter what I do, but I can't tell if it's the needle or just crappy punching technique lol. Also, do you adjust your stitch length at all when switching to leather needles or just keep it the same? I'm wondering if a shorter stitch would help with that hole size issue even with the right needle.